DAA News Network

Cyprus ratified the Convention and the Optional Protocol on June 27th.
On the 5th of July Pakistan became the 103rd country to ratify the Convention.
As of mid-July signatories and ratifications are as follows:
Convention ...

The European Disability Forum (EDF) has reasserted its opposition to the institutionalisation of disabled people. This follows the BBC's revelations about the abuse of disabled people in Winterbourne View care home near Bristol in the UK.
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The United Nations asks all countries that have ratified the Convention to submit a progress report after two years. In accordance with this, on May 16th, the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) released a draft report on the UK's implementation of th ...

On May 12th, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Colombia's ratification of the CRPD marked, "...an important milestone for Colombia and for the global community." He added, "The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a power ...

The Center for Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Finland (VIKE) has just published an English translation of, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Multidisciplinary Perspectives, a collection of 15 essays, ...

Shuaib Chalklen, a wheelchair user and the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability, was not allowed to board his Swiss Air flight from London to Geneva (on April 4th) because the airline claimed he could not use the toilet unaided. Discrimination such ...

The UK Parliament's Joint Committee of Human Rights is conductingan inquiry into the implementation of the right to independent living for disabled people, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the CRPD.
The Committee invites interested persons and grou ...

At a seminar in New Delhi (January 14, 2011) on Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Commonwealth, Mukul Wasnik, India's Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, admitted that that existing disability legislation falls short of the provisions o ...

The Boston-based Disability Rights Fund (DRF) has announced that, in its second round of funding for 2010, $1.3 million has been gifted to 66 disabled persons’ organizations in 11 countries.
DRF supports the human rights advocacy of DPO ...

The District Court in a Czech town Cheb ordered full restoration of legal-capacity of a woman with learning difficulties so that she could live independently.
It is the first time that a Czech court based its decision on the concept of sup ...

A report just released by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has found that only seven of the 27 countries in the EU (Austria, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK) grant full voting rights to all disabled peo ...

On October 27th, the Mozambican parliament unanimously ratified the CRPD and the Optional Protocol.
The Minister for Women's Affairs and Social Welfare, Yolanda Cintura, said the Convention would ‘... promote, protect and ensure the enjo ...

Proposed cuts by the coalition government will set independent living back by up to 30 years, according to research by UKDPC.
The results call into question the suggestions by the government that radical reform of the benefits system will lead to ...

Participating in a two-day consultative meeting organised in Bangalore by Disability Rights Group (DRG) and National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled Persons (NCPEDP), about 30 disability activists from the State of Karnataka urged the ...

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) is organising a protest against what they say is a hospital's attempt to kill a patient by withdrawing hydration and nutrition - euthanasia by omission.
Joshua Kulendran Mayandi , a 48 year old pastor of ...

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Sha Zukang told a meeting of States Parties to the CRPD (Sept. 1st) that a key challenge to the convention's full implementation is the fact that fewer than half of all Member States have ra ...

The UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee has recommended the repeal of all laws which discriminate against people affected by leprosy.They also want States to enact legislation to ensure people affected by leprosy and their family members do ...

In the year that the CRPD came into force (2008) the first International Aids Conference (IAC) to include disability as a mainstream issue was held in Mexico City. At this year's IAC in Vienna, a session was held entitled, "Where are we now?" The int ...

Disabled people in the Philippines claim that they are disabled less by their impairments then the denial of their human rights. They site, among other things, the government's failure to enforce the law that affords them a 20% discount on medicin ...

On June 14th, MindFreedom Ghana organised a march in Accra with over five hundred people and a brass band to celebrate Mad Pride Day. Mad Pride Day is part of a series of events run throughout the world by MindFreedom International.
The ...

The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) announced its second 2010 "Moving Rights Forward" grants round. In this round grants will be targeted at disabled persons' organizations (DPOs) in four regions and twenty countries: in Africa: Ghana and Uganda; in ...

Malaysia has formally ratified the CRPD. However, this has been done with reservations. This means it will not accept all or sections of - Article 3 on general principles, Article 5 on equality and non-discrimination, Article 15 on freedom from to ...

Over the last few years the European Commission has introduced legislation to ensure air and rail passengers benefit from the same standards of treatment throughout the European Union. They have now (from end of June 2010) launched a campaign to i ...

On May 3rd, 2010, Spain became the first country to submit its initial report on the implementation of the Convention to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the CRPD Committee). For the moment, the report is only available in ...

Article 12 of the CRPD says that states should not deprive people of the right to make their own decisions and instead make provision to assist them in making those decisions. In Hungary there were moves to change the law accordingly, but at the l ...

On May 3rd, the CRPD's second anniversary, Human Rights Watch has accused Croatia on failing to live up to its obligations, especially with respect to deinstitutionalization.
They claim that whereas in other parts of Europe disabled people ...

On April 16th, disabled people in the Philippines staged an ‘Indignation Rally' to mark the second anniversary of the country's ratification of the CRPD. They were protesting because the government has done nothing to make the Convention a reali ...

In Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, 150 members and supporters of the Vidya Sagar and Aid et Action held a rally to highlight the plight of disabled women. They pointed out that their rights had received special mention in the UN Convention, wh ...

Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that governments must take all necessary steps to ensure the protection and safety of disabled people following natural disasters.
Accordingly , on March 6th, t ...

On February 4th, Ukraine became the 79th country to ratify the Convention. Two weeks later France joined the list. Both countries also ratified the Optional Protocol. Because of the new ratifications the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Di ...

In November 2009 we reported that European Union had ratified the CRPD. This now seems to have been something of an illusion. For the Convention to be ratified, the instrument must be deposited with the UN. This has not been done. Although the EU ...

A conference will be held on March 29th at the London Metropolitan University on the legal implications of end-of-life issues, including assisted suicide and non-treatment.
Although the entry charge is rather dear (£65/£25 concession) th ...

The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) today (February 15th) announced its first 2010 grants round, "Moving Rights Forward." Grantmaking in this round will be targeted at DPOs in Mexico, Ukraine, selected states in India, as well as Indonesia.
T ...

The European Union has just released a detailed study which analyses and interprets information on the situation of disabled women in 33 European countries in light of the UN Convention. The work also specifies what still has to be improved to all ...

Some Indian NGOs have raised serious questions about how the country's UNCRPD implementation report is being put together.
An activist from Karnataka said, "If we raise questions we are brushed aside as troublemakers." He pointed out that ...

Disability activists and NGOs have criticized the Indian government for failing to keep its promise to amend the country's Disability Act to make it more effective, as well as to comply with the UN Convention.
"Having signed and ratified t ...

The Romanian Disability Council (CNDR) supported by Yannis Vardakastanis, president of the European Disability Forum (EDF), meet on January 15th with Emil Doc, the Romanian PM, to consider measures to increase participation of disabled people in n ...

On November 26th, the European Union( EU) ratified the CRPD. This is a groundbreaking move, as it is the first international human rights convention acceded to by the EU. It is also important for the Community's 65 million disabled people.
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25th November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The European Disability Forum (EDF), citing the UN Convention, has issued a call for the end of the forced sterilisation of disabled girls and women.They say there i ...

A resolution, "Realizing the Millennium Development Goals for persons with disability" (A/C.3/64/L.5/Rev.1) was adopted at 64th session of the UN General Assembly.It calls for the MDGs to be accessible to all, and highlights the importance of data ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General has established a Task Force on Disability to lead the organization's efforts and acknowledges that the Convention will change the way WHO works. The Task Force, which includes representatives f ...

Kerry Robertson, who is 17 and has learning difficulties, has been prohibited by social workers from marrying her fiancé.
Two days before they were to be married, Kerry, who is five months pregnant, and her husband to be, Mark McDougall, ...

A new report from the European Coalition for Community Living (ECCL) looks in detail at Article 19 of the CRPD - that all disabled people have the right to live and participate in the community. A clear explanation of the scope and purpose of Arti ...

The Second Conference of State Parties on the CRPD took place at UN Headquarters between the 2nd and 4th of September. Government representatives, disability organisations and DPOs met to consider a number of substantive issues around the implemen ...

The European Foundation Centre (EFC) has launched a mapping exercise to collect examples of good practices of implementing the UN Convention. Civil society organisations representing the disability community are invited to participate in the surve ...

EDF-EFC joint capacity building seminar on Article 33 of the UN Convention (Brussels, 28 October 2009)
The European Disability Forum (EDF) and the European Consortium of Foundations on Human Rights and Disability (EFC) ar ...

As he had promised, President Obama is to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on Friday, July 24, 2009 at the White House. Significantly, this will be the 19th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with D ...

UK ratifies CRDP and will be starting the parliamentary process for ratifying the OP shortly
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a powerful and explicit statement, which states ...

The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia ratified the UN Convention on Disability Rights and the Optional Protocol on Friday, 29th May 2009.
For Serbians, the Convention does not create new rights for disabled people but defines the ...

DAA is pleased that the UK government is progressing the ratification process. However, the proposed reservations in four important areas is disappointing. After years of campainging and meetings with officials, this outcome is very depressing. Re ...

On the 3rd February Jonathan Shaw announced that the UK will sign the Optional Protocol. This is welcome news.
Mr. Jonathan Shaw said: "The Optional Protocol contains additional agreements between countries that have signed the convention. ...

The Alliance for Inclusive Education ALLFIE is calling all disabled people and their allies for action, because the UK Government is currently planning to reduce our rights in education. At the end of the ALLFIE article, we have reproduced a campa ...

Disabled people are concerned over comments made by Jonathan Shaw, Minister of Disabled People, that the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People might not be ratified in full. At a hearing of evidence on the 18th November the Jo ...

Disabled People were explicitly included in the acceptance speech of the new President elect. He stated that America is a place were all things are possible."It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, bl ...

As disabled people are waiting for the UK government to fully support the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, Jack Straw wants to introduce a new law with more emphasis on duties and responsibilities, and not only on rights. The Europe ...